Fairy Heart
by Zara Hart
Summary: With Zeref making the first move in this war by striking hard and striking fast, not everyone in the guild will make it out unscathed. But love comes in many forms, and Lucy is ready to show Zeref that love is stronger than anything he may throw their way.
1. Chapter 1: And Tragedy Strikes

Fairy Heart

Summary: With Zeref making the first move in this war by striking hard and striking fast, not everyone in the guild will make it out unscathed. But love comes in many forms, and Lucy is ready to show Zeref that love is stronger than anything he may throw their way. (Slightly AU)

Couples: NaLu, Gruvia, GaLe, Jerza, RoWen, Miraxus

 _Author's Note: Hello everybody! Quick background to my story, this is set right after the Avatar Arc (where everyone renuintes), and then slightly deviates from there. It doesn't go straight into the conflict with the Alvarez Empire and Makarov never went there to negotiate, so the war is being prolonged for a bit. That's all I can say without giving too much away, so I hope you enjoy =) - Zara_

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, but you know, maybe one day.

* * *

[CHAPTER ONE – And Tragedy Strikes]

Lucy sighed in exasperation, ignoring Natsu's obnoxious cackling and instead focusing on Gray's semi-healed, but still bruised face.

"Shut the fuck up Flame Brain," Gray grumbled in annoyance, looking about ready to pounce on his friend. "It's not that funny."

The glare Gray shot Natsu's way did nothing to deter his amusement and only seemed to intensify the bails of mocking laughter as the Dragon Slayer almost fell out of his seat.

"Natsu…" Lisanna chided softly, trailing off as she too sighed at her friend's antics. She turned to look at Lucy for help, but the blonde merely rolled her eyes at her immature partner and ignored the urge to push him out of his seat herself.

"Just ignore him Lisanna," Elfman instructed from across the table, then turned to Gray with an approving look in his eye. "Those bruises are manly!"

Gray shot Elfman the very same glare he was giving Natsu, before deflating in his seat, calling out to Mira for a beer. Sending Kinana over with the cold drink, the Ice Mage downed half the bottle in one gulp while Happy and Charle eyed him in both awe and disapproval.

"Natsu, I think Gray is turning into Cana!" exclaimed Happy, flying over from his place on their table to land on his partner's shoulder, nearly falling off with how he was still trembling with laughter.

"Gray, you shouldn't drink so much," Charle tsked.

"Why don't all of you just leave me alone," Gray lamented, slumping forward to rest his head on the table. "Shouldn't you be with Wendy?" he mumbled as an afterthought.

Charle shrugged, paws on her hips in nonchalance. "Wendy and Romeo are at the park, babysitting Asuka," she answered, as if that explained things. Which to Lucy it did; she knew the white Exceed hated playing at the park where there were so many people mulling about 'being uncivilized' and 'rolling in filth'.

When Natsu's laughter began to escalate in volume, Lucy snapped, finally shoving her best friend sideways and snorting as he toppled off the chair he was sitting on in a startled mess. Elfman, Happy (who had switched to Lucy's shoulder in the nick of time) and Lisanna all burst out into laughter, but the blonde merely turned back to Gray with a look on her face so stern, it could have rivaled Erza's.

"So?" she demanded, forcing Gray to lift his head back up. "Are you going to tell us what happened this time?"

Growling, Gray took another swig of his beer. "Hell if I know."

"Well, since this is the fifth time this month you've come back to the guild with a black eye, I can only assume that it was Gajeel again," Lucy deduced, with a hint of disapproval in her tone. "And since Gajeel doesn't usually start fights without provocation, I'm guessing you did something to tick him off."

"I get attacked and suddenly it's my fault?" the boy snapped, glaring moodily at her. Lucy didn't know what was going on with the boys lately, but ever since her, Natsu and Happy reinstated Fairy Tail, tensions have been running a bit high.

She knew it was naïve of her to believe that things would automatically go back to the way things were from a year ago, but she had hoped. Everyone was so happy to come back, and they spent almost a full week partying and refurbishing their guildhall, especially in the latter part of that week when Master and Laxus had made their way home. That was nearly two and a half months ago, and for some reason, Gray found a new rival in Gajeel, fighting much more with the Iron Dragon Slayer lately than he did with even Natsu. She didn't know what exactly had brought it on, but she had her suspicions.

"Hey, don't jump down Lucy's throat just because you got your ass handed to you," Natsu piped in unhelpfully, jumping back up and into his seat with a scowl.

Ignoring him again, Lucy quickly intervened, not liking the viscous gleam in Gray's eyes as he turned to the Fire Mage, ready to pick yet another fight.

"Gray, seriously, what's been going on with you? Not to say that you and Gajeel were ever best friends or anything, but you never used to fight this much, and without reason too."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he denied, looking away stubbornly. Scowling at his attitude, Natsu opened his mouth to reprimand him but Lucy quickly jabbed him in his side to shut him up.

"Now that you mention it Lucy," Lisanna continued, a thoughtful look on her face, "they _have_ been fighting a lot, usually whenever Ju –."

"It's nothing," Gray snapped irritably, taking another, much longer chug of his almost empty beer bottle.

"Man, you're acting like a bigger asshole today than usual, Ice Dick," came Natsu's unnecessary comment.

"Whenever what?" Elfman asked confusedly with a scratch of his snowy white head, and Lucy and Lisanna exchanged another exasperated look at the boys' immaturity and cluelessness.

Happy took off from Lucy's shoulder and hovered over the table, calling out teasingly, "I think she was going to say Juvi –."

"Shut up, you dumb cat!" Gray snarled, causing the flying feline to gasp in fear and dive down to hide in Lucy's hair.

"Luuuuucy," the little blue cat whined, cowering slightly while Charle rolled her eyes. "Gray's being mean." Pulling the Exceed out of her hair and onto her lap where she could run her fingers through his soft fur, Lucy eyed her friend.

"Is that what this is about? The fact that Juvia went on a job with Gajeel?"

Gray balked, avoiding the question by downing the rest of his drink before calling out for another one.

"So you're acting this way because you're jealous?" Charle deadpanned, not at all impressed.

"Jealousy is the ultimate sign of a man," Elfman declared approvingly and Lisanna glared at him.

"No it's not," she hissed, "jealousy is petty and unnecessary and just creates problems." To Lucy's right, Natsu went unnecessarily quiet and she almost laughed at how obvious her partner was about his own feelings.

"I'm not jealous," Gray vehemently denied, accepting the new bottle of beer from Kinana before taking another long swig. "Juvia and I don't have that kind of… this isn't about her," he quickly amended.

"But weren't you two living together for a year?" Charle reminded him.

"Six months," Gray corrected her under his breath.

"If you aren't jealous, then why are you so angry?" Lucy asked, believing that she had cornered him.

"It's nothing," he mumbled again, avoiding all eye contact with his friends.

Lucy sighed, opening her mouth to continue arguing with him when she was cut off by a soft voice at the table over.

"It's not Gray who's angry, it's Gajeel." Levy McGarden hadn't looked up from the large novel she was reading, even while Lucy's table was getting increasingly loud, and spoke with her nose still in the book. In the seats in front of her, Jet and Droy were stuffing their face with the shepherd's pie Mira had prepared for them.

"What do you mean Levy?" Elfman asked her, looking beyond confused. Again, Lucy had a feeling she knew what had come over the two boys, but she waited for Levy to either confirm or deny her suspicions.

Levy kept her head facing forward as she flipped to the next page in her book, though her eyes would dart sideways to her group of friends at the next table. Gray, Lucy noticed, was shooting Levy an intense, warning look to which the petite bookworm ignored.

"Why would Gajeel be mad at Gray?" Lisanna urged, no doubt excited with the little bit of gossip she could extract from the situation.

Finally putting down her book, she stood up and approached their table, meeting Gray's tense eyes head on. "Because he doesn't approve of Gray," she answered. On his part, the Ice Mage scowled and looked away, and Lucy could tell that Levy's words irritated him much more than he would ever let on.

"Approve of him?" Natsu echoed, finally rejoining the conversation. "What does that even mean?"  
Levy shrugged. "Ever since he found out what happened in that year we were all separated, he hasn't fully forgiven Gray for leaving Juvia alone, all by herself. He says, and I quote, 'the bastard doesn't deserve her'."

Lucy listened as her suspicions were confirmed, eyeing Gray in interest for his reaction to her words. All in all, he seemed uncaring, indifferent, but Lucy had known Gray for a long time and was almost as close to him as she was Natsu. She could see the way his jaw clenched and how his hand tightened on the drink he was holding, allowing his magic to escape him a little as frost started to creep down from the lip of the bottle.

Natsu seemed to notice too, kicking his rival under the table until he let go of the bottle and scowled at the other boy.

"But Juvia doesn't seem to care," Charle pointed out.

Again, Levy shrugged. "Gajeel does."

"Hmm," Elfman pondered, closing his eyes in concentration. "I never realized Juvia and Gajeel were still so close, I never really see them together."

"Well they did come from same guild," Happy offered, purring a bit as Lucy continued absent-mindedly stroking his head.

"As much as he denies it," Levy continued, "I think Gajeel feels indebted to Juvia. After all, she was the one who invited him to join the guild with her; and she vouched for him to Master. He's known her a lot longer than any of us, and understands things about her that we don't. She probably understands him better too," she mumbled that last bit to herself, sounding oddly bitter. Lucy blinked, making a mental note to talk to her best girl friend about it later.

"Well, what happened this time then?" Natsu asked, turning to address Gray instead of Levy. "Why did he kick your ass yesterday?"

Scowling, Gray shot Levy a nasty look and replied, "why don't you ask his girlfriend, since she knows so much."

The tips of Levy's ears turned bright pink. "W-w-wh-wha-what?" she sputtered, mouth popping open in shock. "I'm not his girlfriend!"

Lisanna and Lucy giggled at their friend's flustered behaviour.

"What happened yesterday Levy?" Elfman asked the girl again.

Fanning herself to calm down and willing the colour to drain from her face, Levy spoke up again, sending Gray a glare of her own.

"From what I could tell, Juvia was asking Gray to go on a job with her when Gajeel cut in and said he would go with her instead. I think Juvia tried to argue, but Gajeel just pulled her away and when Gray tried to stop him, he lashed out."

"Jeez, that guy needs to learn how chill out," said Natsu, crossing his arms over his chest, clearly declaring whose side he was on in this whole mess.

"So this is all because Gray abandoned Juvia when they lived together?" Lisanna clarified. Her words seemed to snap Gray out of his silent protest.

"I didn't _abandon_ her," he snarled, looking a lot angrier than he had earlier. Lucy suspected it had something to do with the two beers he finished off in the past 15 minutes. "I had to leave for a bit, I was going to _come back_. Erza asked me to help her. I wasn't just going to say no. I had a job to do." He reinforced each word with such assuring fury that Lucy couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to convince them or himself.

"Well Gajeel doesn't see it that way," Levy argued back. "From his point of view, you were living with Juvia and you just up and left her."

"Who the fuck cares about what your boyfriend thinks. How is it even any of his business? It wasn't like he was there for her either last year, let alone those last six months. I actually had a reason to leave."

"And you think that makes it okay?" Lucy cut in, her voice shaking. Flashes of a certain letter left on her desk and the year she spent so very much alone flitted across her mind, sparking an itch behind her eyes, causing them to glisten. "You think that just because you're 'not dating' or that you 'had a job to do' it makes it okay to leave? You think that it's okay to abandon your friends without a care of how they feel? Just because Juvia may have understood your reason doesn't change the fact that she was all alone, waiting for you for six months."

By that point, Lucy was trembling, a couple tears spilling over and splashing on top of Happy's head.

"Lucy…" the feline called softly, eyes wide in guilty shock. From beside them, Natsu was watching her with a stricken expression on his normally jovial face.

"You could have at least told her where you were going or what you were planning to do. And don't give me any of that I-wanted-to-protect-her bullshit," she snapped when she saw Gray's mouth open behind her freefalling tears.

She hadn't thought about that dark year in a long time, and she hadn't cried like this since the first few months of Fairy Tail's disbandment.

"You know Juvia is an amazingly capable mage who could have handled herself. You're just like every other guy who doesn't think or care how his actions may affect other people. Of course you abandoning her would affect her, and yes, it _is_ considered abandonment if you leave without a word. Nobody likes getting left behind Gray."

She hadn't realized how riled up she was getting that, by the end of her speech, Lucy was practically screaming at her Ice Mage friend, her chair having knocked down to the floor when she stood up unknowingly and every eye in the guild upon them.

Gray and Natsu were both staring at her with an odd mixture of guilt and horror, while Lisanna watched on in sympathy. Levy had tears in her own eyes and Elfman was looking away, unable to handle a girl's tears. At some point, Lucy must have let go of Happy, for she noticed he was sitting back on the table beside Charle, tears at the corners of his eyes.

Eyes wild and breath uneven, Lucy was about to turn to storm out of the guild to cool off when Natsu's ears twitched and he turned to the doors, just as they burst open with a gunshot bang, causing nearly every person in the guild to jump out of their seats in either surprise or defense.

When Lucy turned to stare at the intruders, she immediately screamed, her hand flying to her mouth as gasps echoed across the guild. Standing at the mouth of the hall, bloody and panting and looking as if every part of his body was broken was Gajeel, arms full with a large bundle in blue. Floating above him frantically was Pantherlily, also injured and with a few feathers missing from his wings.

"Gajeel!," came the panicked cry of her best friend, as the little Solid Script Mage rushed forward to the front of the hall, Mira and Jet at her heels. She reached him just as Gajeel's knees gave in, collapsing almost on top of the small girl as she caught him. Above them, Lily faltered as well, his wings disappearing as the transformation wore off, falling into the waiting arms of Mira.

"Lily, are you okay?" Happy called, flying over to the group with Charle on his tail.

The little Exceed didn't answer, trembling slightly and coughing up blood on Mira's white dress.

"Gajeel! Gajeel!" Levy was crying harder by this point, shaking the Dragon Slayer who was silent but still conscious. Jet ran to Gajeel's other side to help Levy support the much larger man, while Warren hurried forward to grab the blue bundle from Gajeel's arms. However, before he had the chance to, the Iron Mage nearly bit his arms off, careening back and away from all three of his guildmates, crushing whatever he was holding in his arms tighter to his chest.

"Ga-Gajeel?" Levy asked through her tears.

"Wendy," the injured mage rasped, tears of blood running down his face.

The guild was silent, waiting for him to continue as a thought suddenly crossed Lucy's mind. Turning to Gray who was behind her, she could see the look of unmatched horror and realized he thought of the same thing too. _Where was Juvia?_

"What is all the commotion?" a voice called from the second floor of the guild. Lucy looked up to see Erza descending down the stairs slowly, but then speeding up when she saw the condition with which her fellow guild mates returned.

"Wendy," Gajeel whispered again as Erza approached him.

"Jet, go to Polyursica's. Master is with her, bring them both back," Erza instructed as she kneeled down in front of Gajeel, not bothering to see if the mage was following her instructions.

"Happy, Charle," she continued, reaching for whatever Gajeel was holding, who flinched back, "find Wendy and the others and bring them back to the guild. Kinana, Max, prep the infirmary, three beds."

"T-three?" Max clarified.

"Yes," Erza replied gravely, and Lucy had to swallow back her dread.

"Help her," Gajeel growled before anyone else had a chance to speak. Lucy couldn't see whom he was referring to, but she had an idea. "She's barely breathing."

Swallowing thickly, Lucy called out to them. "Is that…?"

"Help her, please." And just then, as Gajeel relinquished his package to Erza's arms and collapsed at her feet, Erza moved just enough so that Lucy was able to see what he was holding and gasped in shock and terror.

In Erza's arms was the pale face of Juvia Lockser, eyes open and unblinking, chest barely rising and falling with breath.

* * *

"Asuka," Romeo called out to the little girl, preparing herself to jump down the slide. At the call of her name, she waved her little hand and smiled. "Be careful!"

Beside him, Wendy giggled and he turned to face her.

"Don't worry so much Romeo-kun," she chided softly from her place on the swings. She pushed back and launched herself, pumping her small legs smoothly to gain acceleration. Romeo watched her, leaning against the pole that supported the swings. "We're here to have fun."

"Actually, Asuka's here to have fun. _We're_ here to watch her," he reminded the young Dragon Slayer, watching as the light of the sun bounced radiantly off her wildly swinging tresses.

Slowing to a halt, Wendy's face turned solemn. "You're right. We shouldn't be playing around."

Resisting the urge to remind her that it was only _she_ that was playing around, Romeo sighed. Straightening his posture before walking around the pole to stand behind her, he gave the girl a gentle push, startling her.

"R-Romeo-kun?" she questioned, gripping the chains of the swing tightly and trying to look over her shoulder. This, however, proved to be difficult for risk of falling on her bum and Romeo was glad. After all, he definitely did not want to her to see him bright pink in embarrassment.

"A-anyways," he croaked, coughing to clear his throat before continuing. "Where's Charle? It's rare to see you without her."

Wendy giggled. "I think she went to the guild today. When she heard that Asuka-chan wanted to go to the park, she immediately refused to come with us."

Romeo nodded, though the girl he was softly pushing forward, swinging like a pendulum, probably couldn't see him. "I still don't understand how you raised Charle from an egg. The difference between you two is crazy. She's so prim and proper."

"Well, Charle is a princess, you know. Maybe she has like built-in manners."

"And yet Lucy-nee practically grew up as royalty and she's just as insane as the rest of us," Romeo snorted and Wendy laughed again.

"Romeo! Wendy!" came Asuka's excited squeal as she charged her way down the twisting slide. "Look at me!"

The two young mages turned just in time to see the tail end of the child's ride, gliding along the plastic at full speed, not stopping until she literally flew off the mouth and landed face first into the sand. The two little boys she was playing with cackled in laughter while another girl, maybe a year or two older called down from the top of the jungle gym to see if she was alright.

"Asuka-chan!" Wendy cried, as she jumped out of her seat without waiting for it to stop and prepared to run over to the fallen child with Romeo. However, before they could even take a step forward, Asuke pulled her head out of the sand and let out a snort of laughter.

"That was fun! I want to do it again," was her boisterous declaration, already racing back up the jungle gym.

"No fair, Asuka-tan," one of the boys she was playing with called from somewhere at the top of the slide. "It's my turn next."

As the children bickered, Romeo faced Wendy and rolled his eyes, causing Wendy to let out another giggle. "Children," he stated in exasperation, as if that explained all.

"I forgot how freeing it is to be a kid," Wendy replied, seeming to understand the meaning behind her friend's one word.

"You're still a kid too, you know," he scoffed and Wendy looked at him, affronted.

"Then so are you!" she protested, hands on her hips with a glare that was probably meant to be fearsome, but couldn't be described as anything else but adorable.

"Am not!" Romeo countered, crossing his arms. "I'm already 14 years old."

"Well, I'm 13."

"You're still a kid until you turn 14."

"That's not true, you're a teenager at 13!"

"Fine, you're still a kid until you reach this height," he argued back, smirking as he lifted his hand to indicate about an inch and a half over Wendy's head.

Pouting in annoyance, Wendy crossed her arms. "You can't just make up your own rules. I can go on jobs with the adults, which means I am one."

Romeo's smirk grew wider. "I don't know. I've never seen you on a quest so how do I know you're pulling your own weight?"

Wendy's jaw dropped. "Did you really just…?"

Laughing, Romeo ruffled his friend's hair and turned back to watch Asuka's second attempt down the slide while saying, "I guess I'll never know unless we go on a job together."

With his eyes on Asuka, Romeo missed the sharp, crimson blush making its way over Wendy's face, but before she could retort, the panicked cry of her name pulled her attention away.

"Wendy!"

It was Charle and Happy, flying at max speed over to the two young mages with identical looks of pale shock on their furry faces.

"Charle!" Wendy cried, catching the white exceed that practically barreled into her arms, sending her back a bit. Happy didn't stop, instead flying circles over their little group.

Romeo frowed, immediately on alert and purple fire already in hand. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Did something happen to the guild?" Wendy questioned frantically, extending her arms so that she could check over her partner for injuries.

"It's Gajeel and Lily," Happy announced, finally landing on the ground at their feet, tears in his large eyes. "They need your help."

The was more than enough for Romeo. "Charle, bring Wendy back to the build as fast as you can."

"Romeo-kun."

"Go now!" he barked out, already running to where Asuka had just deposited out of the mouth of the slide. Hearing the telltale sign of flapping wings, he sighed in relief and ignored the sounds of chattering mothers as they gossiped at the display of the usual disruption of Fairy Tail.

"Romeo," said Asuka as he approached. He didn't bother to explain before picking her up and walking back to wear Happy stood waiting. "Where did Wendy go?" She wasn't protesting to being led away from her playtime, and Romeo could only assume that the little girl already knew something was wrong.

"Sorry Asuka, but its time to go back to the guild," he announced firmly just as Happy grabbed hold of his shoulders and took off. "I think something bad has happened."

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 _Author's Note: Hello to everyone who read the first chapter of_ Fairy Heart _to the end. I hope you review and follow/favourite my story if you like it. I'll see you at my next update!_

– _Zara_


	2. Chapter 2: The Waiting Game

Fairy Heart

 _Zara's Note: Hello all! I just wanted to give a thank you shout out to all those who have supported me so far by reviewing, favouriting or following this story. I really hope I can count on your support in the future as we continue on this adventure. So, without further ado, here is Chapter Two! (p.s. I apologize in advance for any typos; I proofread but I still feel like I missed something)_

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, but you know, maybe one day.

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[CHAPTER TWO – The Waiting Game]

If there were only one word to describe Natsu Dragneel, patient would definitely not be it. The pink-haired dragon slayer paced at the foot of the stairway that led to the second floor of the guild and the infirmary, barely paying attention to the buzz of conversation that was circulating around the guild. Lucy was sitting on the bottom step, hand clasped together as if in prayer, while Gray, he noticed, was almost frozen in shock, face pale and eyes wide as he stared up at the second floor, willing someone to come downstairs with an update. Levy was crying at the bar, Jet and Droy trying to comfort her.

With Erza on the scene taking charge, Gajeel had finally lost consciousness and he, along with Lily and Juvia, were taken up to the infirmary to wait for Master or Wendy, whoever came first. Natsu and the rest and tried to follow, but Erza had kicked them out the moment Wendy arrived, which wasn't much later. Master and Polyursica showed up just over an hour ago, not even bothering to ask anyone what happened and instead, barreled their way upstairs. None of them had come down since.

Coming to a halt, Natsu shook with rage. How had this happened? Sure, he was stronger than that metal-faced bastard but Gajeel was no pushover. There was absolutely no way he could have been beaten that badly. Not to mention Juvia. The water-mage was downright scary sometimes but the way she lay, practically lifeless, in Gajeel's arms was enough to raise gooseflesh against his tanned skin. Who the fuck did this?

"GAH!" Natsu raged suddenly, shocking Lucy and everyone else in the guild out of their unconscious trance. Again, Gray, Natsu noticed, remained perfectly still, ignoring his pink-haired friend's outburst.

"Shut up Natsu," Max hissed, glaring from across the guild.

"NO!" Natsu yelled, rolling up his one sleeve and stopped his pacing. "I'm sick of waiting! Someone come down here already!"  
"That's enough Natsu," Mira called, soft but stern, standing at the bar her arms around Lisanna. Natsu turned to face her, cringing back at the look of hopeless sorrow on her face. "You have to be patient."

"I can't," he whined back, already looking away from her and eyeing the stairs, ready to charge up there. He probably would have done so already, if not for Lucy blocking the way. She must have done that on purpose, he thought, realizing it with a jolt. She always knew him the best out of everyone in the guild. "I have to know who did this so I can kick their ass!"

"Natsu." Just that one call of his name from Lucy's lips was enough to get him to calm down, but he still seethed at the tired sigh that accompanied soon after. He would make whoever did this pay for it in hell.

Quieting down, Natsu went back to pacing and everyone continued on with their silent vigil. Head down, he eyed Lucy out of his periphery, noting that Happy had come floating down from the rafters to sit in her lap, much like he had earlier. She was once again combing her fingers in his fur; to comfort the little feline or herself, he didn't know. Natsu was at least grateful she wasn't crying anymore.

Natsu always hated when she cried, wanting to rip out the throat of anyone who dared make her. And yet, what was he to do if the one who made her cry was Natsu himself?

He could still remember the angry tears in her eyes from what felt like an eternity ago, but in reality were merely earlier that day. She had been ripping a new one in Gray, that's how the argument started. And yet, as she continued her angry tirade and the tears started falling, he had a feeling she wasn't only referring to the Ice Mage's sad abandonment of Juvia. He knew she felt a lot more betrayal than anything else when he left. But hey, at least he left her a letter right? He thought back to her tears and cringed. No, it definitely was not alright. He had to stop thinking about it.

"That's it!" Natsu snapped, calling the attention of everyone in the guild once again. "I can't take it anymore. I'm going up there!"

"Natsu, stop it," Cana called sharply but he ignored her.

Lucy stood, hands on her hips with Happy now on her shoulder, glaring in annoyance at him and completely blocking the mouth of the stairs. "Settle down, you idiot. What good will it do if you just barrel in there?"

"I don't care," Natsu retorted, trying to step around her but she stayed firm and cut him off. "I can't stand around, waiting here. I'm going up there right now!"

"That's enough Natsu."

The guild snapped to attention so fast, Natsu was sure someone must have twisted something while standing up in his or her haste. Master was descending down the stairs, solemn faced and ashen. Behind him, Erza glared at him, not at all impressed with his impatience but Natsu could care less. Wendy and Polyursica were nowhere to be seen.

When they came into view, Levy and Mira rushed forward, the former still choking out sobs. Gray, on the other hand, hadn't moved or even acknowledged their presence, and as much as he would never admit it, Natsu was beginning to worry his friend was broken.

"Master?" Mira asked for everyone in the guild. The silence that awaited it was deafening.

Sighing, the Master didn't answer until he reached the bar and hopped up to sit in his usual spot. "It's not good. All three are in very critical conditions."

"What happened?" Natsu shouted but the fierce glare Erza directed at him stilled his tongue from further questions.

"Neither Gajeel nor Lily are awake and we have not been able to obtain the full story of their mission. However, Wendy and Polyursica have both assured us that the two are stable and will recover just fine. Apparently, they _looked_ much worse than they were." Makarov paused in his report and Levy sobbed in relief.

"Juvia, on the other hand," he trailed off, and not even Natsu had the gall to interrupt at this point. At the sound of her name, Gray finally moved, raising his head to look at the Master, eyes blank and unseeing.

"Physically, Juvia is perfectly fine, not even a scratch on her," Erza continued for Makarov, voice surprisingly steady, when he had not spoken again for several minutes. No one made a sound, already sensing the unsaid "but" that hung in the air. "However, though her eyes remain open and she is breathing, even just slightly, she has entered what appears to be a catatonic state. We are still unsure what exactly is wrong with her, but Polyursica-san is still looking her over."

Beside him, Lucy gasped softly and grabbed hold of his hand. Natsu hadn't even realized she had approached him, but squeezed her hand in comfort nonetheless.

"W-what's causing it?" Lisanna squeaked, unshed tears in her eyes.

"We don't know," Master answered her. "We have no way of knowing what to do until we know how this happened and who caused it; and we will not know that until either Gajeel or Lily wake up. For now, all we can do is wait."

Natsu scowled. More _waiting_.

However, it seemed they didn't have to wait long for, just then, Wendy practically flew down the stairs, face tear-stricken.

"Master, Polyursica-san thinks she may know what is wrong with Juvia-san," the little Dragon Slayer panted, coming to a halt by Erza. Everyone in the guild tensed and Charle flew down as well to stand by Wendy's side. "She didn't want to come down and tell you herself though, she said there are too many humans down here."

"What is it Wendy?" Lucy asked urgently, hands squeezing Natsu's tightly. "Can you guys help her?"

"No, we can't," came a stern voice from the top of the stairs. Natsu turned with everyone else, but Polyursica remained at the top, partially obscured by the railing and refusing to come down the stairs anymore than she had to.

"What do you mean we can't?" Wakaba shouted up to her.

"No way," Lucy whispered, her free hand coming up to cover her gasp.

"It is exactly what it means, stupid human," the healer snapped as the Master hopped down from the bar and made his way back to her. "The girl cannot be saved by my magic or Wendy's. In fact, we are dealing with such dangerous, ancient magic; it is unlike any I have ever seen. I know of no one with the capabilities to assist her. She is as good as dead at this point."

The guild did not take that very well, several people raising their voice in protest. Many of the girls had broken down in tears, Lucy amongst them. Resisting the urge to storm up the stairs and give that crabby old hag a piece of his mind, he pulled his partner's small, shaking form into his arms, supporting her in case her legs gave way from underneath her.

And yet, despite the sudden uproar of objection, one noise triumphed above the rest. From where he now stood, Gray growled so fiercely Natsu almost stepped back in surprise. He faced his friend and gulped at the look of pure, unadulterated rage on his usually condescending mug. The Ice Mage was _not_ happy.

"Shut the fuck up!" he thundered, already half way up the stairs before anyone could stop him. The familiar black markings he received during their fight with Tartaros shot up his arm and covered his face, easily visible though Gray's opened shirt, and Natsu was all too aware of what that meant. And what would happen if he lost control.

Reluctantly letting go of Lucy, Natsu propelled himself forward with his fire, faster than anyone could see, and tackled Gray before he reached the old woman. Both tumbled back down the stairs to a chorus of gasps, limbs and curses flying.

"Let go of me Natsu!" Gray yelled, pushing his fiery friend off him.

Natsu stood fast. "Cool it Gray, you're not thinking straight."

"Both of you, that's enough!" A large hand yanked him away from his dark haired friend, depositing him back to his original spot beside Lucy while the other encircled Gray to prevent him from moving. Beside him, Lucy grabbed his hand once more, rubbing soothing circles against his palm.

At the top of the stairs, Polyursica looked completely unfazed, as if she wasn't just about to be stabbed in the heart with an ice lance.

"What is wrong with her?" Master asked the healer gravely, hand tightly around Gray who was struggling and cussing at his hold.

"From what I can tell, the girl is still there but appears to be trapped within her own mind," the healer drawled. More gasps and sobs, and Natsu didn't know how much more of it he could take. "As I have already said, I do not know of anyone who could have done this to her, let alone have the magic that can help her."

"Trapped in her own mind?" Erza clarified calmly. In Makarov's hand, Gray stilled and quieted, the blank look of horror sliding back into place on his face.

From afar, Natsu could see Polyursica nod slightly. "Her body is still functioning normally, as in her heart is still pumping blood and she is still breathing. However, she is not responding to external stimuli, though it seems she is still thinking and feeling. After running some tests, I have found some residual traces of an unknown kind of dark curse placed upon her. From what I can see, someone cursed her mind, and she cannot fully recover from it."

"Jii-chan," Natsu shouted, stomping forward and dragging Lucy by the hand with him. "I can't just accept that there's nothing we can do. We're Fairy Tail! We always find a way."

"I already told you," Polyursica called down to them. "This is not like anything I have seen before."

"Jii-chan," Natsu insisted, and the little man frowned, eyes closed in contemplation.

There was a beat of silence.

"In truth, Natsu," he finally answered. "I have never seen anything like this before either."

"There has to be someone!" Natsu yelled. "Hibiki knows a lot about magic, and even taught Lucy before. Or Meredy! She has that mind-link thing. Maybe she knows something."

"Natsu," Lucy called softly, squeezing his hand harder.

"Jii-chan!"

"Natsu, Meredy has sensory-link magic," Erza corrected him, stepping forward. "She doesn't link her mind, only the senses. She can't know what Juvia is thinking or lead her out of her trapped mind, and there is no guarantee that she will even understand her condition. There is no point in endangering her by bringing her here. She's a fugitive after all."

"But it's worth a shot!" Natsu protested fiercely. How come they were all just giving up like that? Juvia was nakama; in Natsu's books that meant something.

Silence reigned for what felt like hours before it was broken, just barely.

"Please." Gray's voice was so quiet Natsu nearly missed it, but he heard it all the same and he knew the Master heard it too. "Please, help her." The black marks hadn't receded in the slightest, but Gray wasn't raging anymore or lashing out. He looked like the epitome of despair.

Makarov let Gray go, his hand shrinking and arm retreating before hopping up a couple steps up the stairs and turning to face the guild. He eyed them all warily, trailing over each of their faces before meeting with Gray's, a silent conversation passing over them. Finally, he addressed them altogether.

"Natsu is right," he announced. Again, Lucy squeezed his hand, but only this time in hope. "Juvia is my child, and I'll be damned before I do nothing to try and save her. We are Fairy Tail, and we don't abandon our own!"

Cheers erupted left and right, and in the distance, Natsu could hear Polyursica sigh in resignation but with no protests, and she walked back to the infirmary.

"Wendy, go back to the infirmary and help Polyursica continue to heal Gajeel and Lily. If we want to save Juvia, we're going to need them to wake up sooner than later," the Master commanded, and the little girl didn't hesitate before running back up the stairs to follow the grumpy healer. "Cana, I want you to contact Blue Pegasus and ask Hibiki to come here immediately. Erza, contact Jellal and ask for Meredy. As much as it pains me to admit it, Natsu is right."

"Hey!" the Fire Mage protested, but it fell on deaf ears as people jumped into motion.

"We know nothing about this magic, but Hibiki and Meredy are our only leads right now. We have to take what we can get. And you might as well ask for Jellal to come; he is knowledgeable about many different things and knows many forms of dark magic. He might be able to help.

"Levy, Mira, I want you two to do research in our library. See if there is anything you can find. Bring with you anyone else who is not busy. There is no way this curse is going to take away one of our family!"

With those final words as a dismissal, the guild scurried about, most heading in the direction of the library. Natsu, Lucy and Happy were about to join them, when the Master's voice halted their movement.

"Natsu, Lucy, Happy, I have a special job for you three," he called to them quietly.

They turned to him. No one else was paying attention anymore, most talking amongst each other and running theories.

Natsu grinned. _Special job?_ He liked the sound of that.

"What is it, Master?" Lucy asked, as Happy jumped from her shoulder to the top of Natsu's head.

"I want you three to watch over Gray."

At the mention of their friend, Natsu immediately sought him out, looking all over the guild before realizing the Ice Mage was nowhere to be seen. When had he left?

"Why do we have to watch him?" Happy asked.

Master eyed the doors of the guild. "Just make sure he stays out of trouble. He's magically and emotionally unstable right now, and anything can set him off. I know he's really worried about Juvia, but I don't want him doing something he may regret."

That stupid Ice Prick. Natsu's grin widened. "Don't worry Jii-chan. I'll take care of this."

Letting go of Lucy's hand, he ran out of the guild before anyone could say otherwise, all protests coming from Lucy, Makarov and Happy getting lost in the dust.

He didn't wait for them. After all, he had an Ice Princess to find.

* * *

Erza pulled out the little calling card Cana made for her. Smiling softly while tracing her thumb over the little cartoon face of her childhood friend, she channeled her magic and waited. Despite rationalizing to Natsu earlier, Erza couldn't help but pray to the powers that be that Meredy and Jellal would be able to help. They had to. There was no other hope.

Remaining calm while every fiber in her being was screaming at her to shake Gajeel awake and demand he tell them what happened on their mission was a feat that required herculean self-restraint. She could still remember holding Juvia's almost lifeless form in her arms and she looked at her hands in fear.

The Water Mage had always been pale, but looking at her when Gajeel first brought her in almost tore a sob from her throat. Juvia looked…dead.

"Erza, is everything okay?"

The redhead jolted at the gentle voice and against her will, her heart sped up. Jellal always had that affect on her, no matter how much she wished he didn't.

"We need your help."

"I'll be there in two days." The way he said it, no questions asked, dislodged a single tear from her left eye. He had always been like that, coming to her rescue with no hesitation.

Wiping the tear away and steadying her voice, she said, "you're not going to ask me what happened?"

The man chuckled and Erza could feel herself calming down. His presence had always been a comfort to her. "I'll always come to you if you call me. You know that." When he said it, she couldn't help but blush. "As it stands, you never do, so I can only assume something really bad has happened that you're desperate enough to call."

Cana had made this set of matching calling cards to the pair right after the Grand Magic Games, and Erza had yet to use it.

"Something happened to Juvia," Erza said by way of explanation. "I don't know if I can explain it well to you over the card, but we were hoping you and Meredy could come and look at her. She was cursed by a form of magic that not even Polyursica-san can cure."

"If Polyursica-san can't heal her, I am not sure how much help we can be, but Meredy and I will be there nonetheless."

Erza smiled softly. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, Erza."

* * *

 _Zara's Note: Here's the end of the second chapter! I'm sorry if the pace of the story is too slow for you or if you feel any characterization is off. Let me know if you liked it or hated it or if you think there is anything I should improve on; all reviews are welcome! And don't worry about Juvia; this is Fairy Tail we're talking about. Like Natsu said, they'll always find a way._


	3. Chapter 3: Two Days

Fairy Heart

 _Zara's Note: Hello all. Again, I would like to give another shout out to all those who favourited, followed or reviewed after the last chapter, as well as those who started following me as an author. I am so happy with all of your support. Anyways, here's the next chapter._

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, but you know, maybe one day.

* * *

[CHAPTER THREE – Two Days]

Lucy was there to greet him when Hibiki arrived at their doorstep, bringing along Eve with him. For once, they looked somber, not even the slightest amount of flirtatious teasing in their eyes. It was a stark contrast to their usual demeanor and it was another reminder of the severity of the situation at hand.

"Lucy," Hibiki greeted her as two out of the three Trimens approached. She smiled softly at him. Despite how annoying they could be at times, they were still her friends and valued allies of the guild. "How are you doing?"

Lucy shrugged, pushing her long, loose golden strands out of her face and behind her ears. "Just about as good as can be expected."

"Don't worry Lucy," Eve piped up, lacking the usual nee-san that he so wished to call her and Erza. "Hibiki will figure out what to do."

Lucy nodded again, leading them into their guild. "Do you want anything to drink?" she asked as they passed the bar. "I'm sure you're tired after your travels."

"We're fine actually," Hibiki answered. "We got plenty of rest on the train."

"Where's Ren, by the way? I don't think I've ever seen you without him."

Eve shrugged, dark eyes cast down sadly. "He wished he could come too, but Sherry's expecting soon. We told him we'd be fine without him."

Lucy stopped in her tracks and whirled around to face them.

"Sherry's pregnant?" she yelled in surprise, completely overwhelmed. It was amazing news, something she really needed at a time like this; news of hope and the miracles of life.

The duo grinned proudly, as if they were the ones who were about to be proud fathers instead of the missing member of their trio. "They're having a boy!" Hibiki announced, grinning as widely as if he just found out that Blue Pegasus won the Grand Magic Games. Lucy had a feeling she knew why too.

Glaring at them, she put her hands on her hips. "That's all fine and good, but don't go influencing him to be another member of your Trimens. We really don't need another one of you running around." Hibiki looked mockingly offended, while Eve merely rubbing the back of his head bashfully.

"Where's Natsu by the way?" the shorter boy asked, looking around the guild hall expectantly.

At the sound of her partner's name, Lucy's left eye twitched and she turned away again, leading them towards the stairway that lead to the second floor. "I don't know where that idiot went. We're not attached at the hip, you know?"

"Well, I don't think I've ever see _you_ without _him_ ," Hibiki countered, throwing her words right back her.

Sighing, she forced the irritation out of her voice. "He went looking for Gray nearly two days ago and I haven't seen either of them since. They're probably off fighting somewhere."

The two boys chuckled.

"Your guild never changes, even after a year of absence."

Lucy didn't reply. She didn't want to talk about that lost year.

"Ah Lucy, I see you've brought them."

All three mages turned to Erza, who had just exited the infirmary. She greeted the two members of Blue Pegasus with a small, friendly smile before turning to Lucy.

"Has anyone else arrived yet?"

It was faint but Lucy could only just make out the faint blush that tinted Titania's cheeks.

"Nope, not yet."

"Who else is coming?" Hibiki asked, going serious at the very subtle reminded as to why they were there.

Erza frowned at them, contemplating her options. "We asked for another team of… experts to help us with Juvia's case," she informed them slowly, choosing her words carefully. "However, we ask that you be discrete in their presence, and that their identities and location not be disclosed by you to anyone outside this guild."

The boys looked confused.

"Who on Earthland did you call here?" Eve wondered.

Erza eyed them sternly. "Before we give you their names, we need your word that you will not speak a word of this."

Eve opened his mouth to question her again, but Hibiki cut him off. "Of course Erza, you can trust us."

The scarlet mage stared him down, looking for any deception in his eyes. When she deemed him truthful, she relaxed. "The two other people we called go by the names of Jellal Fernandes and Meredy; they are fugitives, wanted by the council, but they are also good friends of ours, and friends of Juvia's. Meredy utilizes a form of Lost Magic called sensory link that allows her to link the feelings and senses of two individuals. We believed she might be able to shed some light on Juvia's condition."

Lucy had a feeling that Eve and Hibiki remembered Jellal from their fight with the Oracion Seis, but neither commented on this fact, asking about the water mage instead. Lucy sighed in relief; that was one problem down.

"Alright, well, what can you tell me about the events leading up to the curse?" Hibiki inquired, all sorts of professional.

"What has Cana told you so far?" Lucy countered, rejoining the conversation. It was an unsaid rule within the guild that any matters involving Crime Sorciere was in Erza's jurisdiction. They weren't to interfere.

"We weren't able to speak to her directly but Master Bob and Ichya-san filled us in on the situation," Hibiki began in explanation.

"We know that Juvia-chan was on a mission when she was attacked, or so we assume," Eve continued, not missing a beat. "We also know that whoever cursed her used a very ancient and dangerous form of magic that has somehow sealed Juvia within her own mind."

Erza nodded. "That is essentially all that we know as well. Gajeel and Lily, who were on the job with Juvia, were both injured and have yet to wake up."

Lucy looked at her friend in surprise. "They're still not awake? But I thought their injuries weren't that bad."

"Wendy says that it is from magical exhaustion. Not only were they fighting, they also had to bring Juvia back here. They're just sleeping to build up their magical reserves."

"Do you know what the mission was and where?" asked Hibiki.

"All we know, based on what Mira-san remembered about the job request, was that they were hired to catch some thieves in Bosco," Lucy continued to explain. "But they were only gone one night; they couldn't have made it all the way there, done their job, then come back to Magnolia in that time. It takes at least half a day just to get to Clover Town. So Mira called their client in Bosco to ask if they had made it there at all, but there was no connection."

"You think it was a set up?" Eve clarified, looking slightly horrified. "But why would someone want to target Juvia-chan?"

"The request might not have been targeting Juvia at all," Erza countered. "It could have been for another mage in Fairy Tail. Or there might not have even been a specific target, and any mage would have been okay. Again, unless either Gajeel or Lily wake up, we won't be able to figure out the attacker's motives."

"What makes you think it was a person who attacked?" Hibiki asked suddenly.

The other three looked at him in surprise. "Did they travel by train?"

"I suppose so," Erza answered, looking curious. The Fairy Tail mage eyed him contemplatively. "Going to Bosco by any other means of transportation would take ages."

And suddenly, it crossed Lucy's mind. "But Gajeel's a dragon slayer. It would still take them almost two days to reach Bosco, even if they were on a train. There is no way Gajeel would have been okay with taking any mode of transportation for that long."

"You're suggesting they went to Bosco on foot?" Eve questioned incredulously.

"Not for all of it, but probably part of the way," Lucy reasoned.

"And during that period of time, any number of creatures could have attacked or they could have encountered some sort of magical object," Hibiki concluded. "Though the source of the threat is no doubt human, we cannot rule out the possibility of the curse originating from a non-human medium, especially if we want to find a way to counter it."

"It can't be a coincidence then that Gajeel and Juvia took on this job," Eve insisted. "One would have to know the types of mages they were in order to set up such an elaborate method of attack."

"That is not necessarily true." The new voice that joined their conversation startled Lucy, who spun around so fast she almost collided with Erza. If nothing else, Jellal Fernandes knew how to make an entrance.

He had just ascended the stairs, eyes catching Erza's first before offering her a gentle smile that warmed Lucy's heart. She didn't know what exactly it was that was going on between these two, but she felt for him every time he was around the Re-quip Mage. It was as clear as day that those two were head over heels in love with each other and yet, they were both holding back and no one knew why. She used to ask Natsu about it on nights when he slept over and she didn't have the strength to kick him out of her apartment, but, being the immature child he was, he would cover his ears and scream "la la la" whenever she brought it up. Apparently, he didn't want to think of the possibility that Erza could be a girl in any sense of the word.

Right behind the ex-convict was Meredy, bubblegum pink hair plastered over her sweaty face as she fidgeted nervously. Lucy knew Meredy and Juvia became good friends after fighting each other on Tenrou Island. She must have been really worried for the Water Mage, having obviously rushed here as fast as they could.

"Jellel, Meredy thanks for coming," Erza greeted them.

"How's Juvia?" Meredy asked, not intending to be rude but completely bypassing Erza's welcome.

"We'll bring you to see her in just a moment," Erza stated, rather calmly. "But first, I would like to introduce you two to Hibiki and Eve. We requested their help as well with this, and they have both agreed to a non-disclosure proposal on your identities."

Jellal nodded to them in gratitude. "I remember you from the Grand Magic Games. You fought well."

Hibiki grinned at him. "Thank you. But back to what you were saying."

Jellal nodded, all pleasantries gone. "As I was saying, it's not necessarily true to say that the fact that it was Gajeel and Juvia who took this job couldn't be a coincidence. If they were specifically targeting those two, they could have requested them specifically. Fairy Tail had been known for receiving those kinds of jobs after winning the Grand Magic Games. So why bother posting it as a general job if they wanted Juvia specifically?"

"That's true," Lucy agreed, contemplatively. "I was even considering taking the job; it was worth a lot of money. But Natsu was not okay with travelling for that long, no matter how much I begged. So Juvia asked me if she could take it instead, said it was the perfect job to go on with Gray since Gajeel had been getting in their way recently. Juvia had originally intended to go with Gray, and it was by chance that Gajeel went instead. There were way too many flukes in the situation so there's no way that this was all carefully planned by some evil mastermind."

The group fell silent at her words, and Lucy started to doubt them. If someone had somehow orchestrated the whole thing… what kind of person had the capabilities to do that?

"Again, we won't know the full story unless one of the other two wake up so we should just leave it at that," Erza announced with finality.

Hibiki nodded. "Yes, we should save the theories for after we have seen Juvia-chan for ourselves."

Meredy began to shake again in anxiety and Lucy could relate. This would be the first time she'd see Juvia since she was first brought in and Lucy wasn't sure she'd be able to handle it. She could still remember the wide-eyed, blank stare that left Juvia looking dead.

Erza turned on her heel and grabbed the door handle to the infirmary, pushing it open softly so as to not disturb anybody. And then she gasped. Like full on, opened mouthed gasped that sent nervous energy to Lucy's palpating heart. For sitting up in bed was the little, black exceed Pantherlily looking bruised and broken but very much awake.

"Lily!" Lucy nearly shouted, pushing past the group to rush to his side. Wendy and Charle were sleeping on the far bed, probably tired after a full day of using her healing magic. Gajeel lay on the bed between Lily and Juvia, still unconscious. And Juvia…

Tears stung Lucy's eyes as she looked over the girl. Juvia looked absolutely lifeless.

Choosing instead to focus on the only person in the room who was awake, Lucy hurried to kneel beside his bed, patting his fur in wonder. He was _okay_! Happy would be so, well, happy.

"Lucy?" he asked in confusion. "Where am I?"

"You're in the infirmary," Erza answered, approaching the bed as well. The four foreign mages hung back by the threshold, not wanting to intervene. "You and Gajeel have both been out for two days."

"Juvia…?"

"She…" Lucy trailed off, eyes darting to the girl a few beds over. Lily turned to look as well and his eyes widened.

"She's not…?"  
"No!" Lucy cut him off from finishing his question, realizing her mistake. "She's not dead."

"But there hasn't been any changes from before," Erza finished. She looked relieved, like a slight weight had been lifted from her shoulders when she saw that Lily had woken up. "We brought some people who might be able to help."

Lily nodded, not bothering to look up at the "people who could help". Instead he frowned.

"Lily?"

"Can you tell us what happened?"

Lily nodded sadly. "I think you should get the Master. He needs to hear this as well."

* * *

Natsu had been searching for Gray for two days now. He had been all over Magnolia twice and he hadn't been able to spot the stupid Ice Dick anywhere. So imagine his surprise and utter frustration when he finally found him. Sitting on the roof of their own fucking guild, half naked.

"You've got to be kidding me," Natsu growled when he landed on the roof.

Gray didn't turn to face him but instead acknowledged his presence by calling out an irate, "what?"

"'I've been looking for you for two days, you bastard, and you've just been here?" the pink-haired man whined, plopping down to sit next to his 'friend'.

Gray glared at him, willing the other mage to leave him alone. "I haven't just been up on the roof for two days Flame Brain. Can't you use your brain for once? It's not my fault you couldn't find me. Aren't you a fucking Dragon Slayer? I thought you could sniff people out?"

Natsu shrugged, scowling at the insults. "My nose has been acting funny, but that's besides the point. Where the fuck have you been? Happy gave up helping me look for you three hours ago and went home."

"Not my fault you have no common sense. And it's none of your business where I've been." Natsu glared right back at his rival. This was getting him nowhere.

Sighing, he forced his temper down. "Look, I know you're worried about Juvia but…"

"What the hell would you know?" Gray snapped, eyes fierce as he rounded on the Dragon Slayer.

"But we're all worried about her too. You don't get special privileges to act like a dick to everyone. Not unless you finally grow a pair and admit that you have feelings for her."

"I don't have feelings for her," he argued, though it lacked any conviction. It was almost as if Gray said it out of reflex, based off of years of denial.

"Gray," Natsu sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, and honestly if you ever tell anyone this, I will burn your face off, but we've known each other a really long time. I know you and I know when you're lying."

"You don't know anything," Gray seethed, looking away.

Natsu was beginning to get annoyed at his impudence.

"Here's a thought, why don't you get your head out of your ass and stop moping about, feeling sorry for yourself," Natsu snapped, almost mad enough to breath fire out of his mouth. "You've been doing a damn good job of being useless the past couple days. It's almost as if you don't want to do a thing to help Juvia get better."

The punch Gray had sent his way came out of nowhere, knocking Natsu off balance and almost made him tumble off the ledge of the roof.

"Who the fuck gave you the right to tell me off? You're not the Master. You're not my father. You're not Ur. Stop fucking telling me how I feel or what I should do. When did you get to be so condescending?"

"And when did you stop caring about your nakama?" Natsu yelled back with a counterpunch to Gray's jaw.

"Stop assuming that you understand anything about me. You don't know shit," Gray cried, grabbing Natsu around his torso and tacking him to the ground.

"I know much more than you think, Ice Tits," Natsu growled, flipping them over so he was on top, sending a couple jabs at his friend's face. "I know that you're too chicken to admit that you love Juvia."

"I'm not scared asshole," Gray cried, flipping them over again to return the favour. Neither realized how loud they were being, or the potential repercussions of their actions on the guild roof. "I already know that I love Juvia!"

"Then why the fuck are we fighting?" Natsu hissed, kneeing the other mage in the gut so that he doubled over in pain, effectively releasing his hold on the pink-haired man.

"I don't know," Gray wheezed, sweeping his legs to the side, causing Natsu to fall back onto his tailbone.

With both friends down for the count and neither ready to resume the fight, they stilled, lying down on their backs side by side, neither making a sound aside from the pants that escaped them.

Eventually, Natsu broke the silence saying in between breaths, "what are you so afraid of then, if you've already admitted it to yourself?"

Too tired to argue, Gray actually responded. "Are you kidding me? You know about Ur and my dad. You know that Ultear is gone too. And you saw what Juvia looked like when they brought her in. I wouldn't be able to… I don't know what I would do if… I wouldn't expect you to understand."

They fell silent again, Natsu actually thinking carefully about his next words.

"I do understand," he insisted. This was the third time he insisted he knew Gray and it was leaving a bad taste in his mouth. "I've been there."

"What…?"

"You weren't there," Natsu continued, struggling to explain what had happened. That day was a day of nightmares that haunted him since. He never wanted to think about it, always wishing he would one day miraculously forget. "It was on the last day of the Grand Magic Games, when we went to go rescue L-Lucy from prison. The day the dragons came. We found two Lucys when we were there. One had used the Eclipse doors to come back in time from just a little bit ahead in the future. And then there was future Rogue. He travelled back seven years. It was his fault, and I couldn't do anything. I wasn't fast enough."

The Fire Mage choked on his words, staring straight up into the bright, blue sky, fluffy clouds drifting in the wind. The blade of darkness that zipped past him and Happy's tears were on constant replay in his dreams. And it was only when it flashed to her lifeless face did Natsu ever wake up, screaming her name and drenched in sweat, tears trickling down his face. Happy was the lone person who knew about his recurrent nightmares, and for once, the cat knew better than to tease him.

"Natsu, what are you trying to say?" Gray sounded confused, but even Natsu could detect a hint of worry in his voice.

"That bastard from the future," Natsu said, trying to steady his voice. "He was the bad guy. I should have known there was something off about him. He was trying to… to get rid of anyone who would be able to stop him. And he then he aimed at Lucy and fired. I wasn't fast enough."

Gray bolted upright to stare at his friend in shock, and Natsu prayed that there weren't any tears falling. "But how is that possible? Lucy is still…"

"Alive?" Natsu finished for him sardonically. "Future Lucy jumped in the way just in time, said that if our Lucy d-died, she would disappear as well. But it was horrible either way. Seeing Lucy, any Lucy, d-die like that. And I couldn't do anything."

Natsu avoided his eyes but he could still feel Gray's eyes on him.

"But it's not really the same is it?" Gray prodded softly, crossing his legs and looking out across the town. "For me, Juvia is… But it's not like, towards Lucy, you don't…"

"Who says?"

And Gray almost choked on his own spit, whirling back to stare at his friend. They held each other's gaze, challengingly, neither willing to back down. If Gray didn't get his act together after this, Natsu was gonna drag him down to the guild by his hair if he had to.

"Natsu? Is that you up there?"

Natsu's heart jumped at the sound of her voice, coming from over the ledge of the roof. Together, both him and Gray cocked their heads over the side to see a concerned Lucy, arms crossed over her chest in confusion. The Dragon Slayer nearly panicked. _How much had she heard_? At Gray's sharp intake of breath, Natsu knew he was thinking along the same lines and they glanced at each other in horror.

"I knew it," she called up to them, and then she was joined by an amused looking Cana. "You're with Gray."

"W-what do you mean, Luce?" Natsu asked, and she shot him a weird look at his stuttering.

"She means we could hear your little scuffle from all the way in the library," Cana yelled up at them, a bottle of whiskey in her hands.

Beside him, Gray gulped. "What exactly did you hear?"

This time, Lucy shot the same look at Gray. "Well, a lot of thumping and yelling. And we could hear your voices but they were muffled. For a second there, we thought you guys were fighting in the broom closet and then the pantry, but you weren't there so Erza suggested the roof."

Both mages let out identical sighs of relief.

"Hold on, we'll be right down," Natsu called to her. Him and Gray exchanged looks of understanding, silently conveying the mutual truce, before jumping over the side and landing in a crouch in front of the two girls.

"Have you been up there that whole time?" Lucy questioned, eyebrows raised. Her hands were on her hips, which were jutted to the left and Natsu couldn't help but admire her curvaceous figure. "You've both been gone for two days."

Gray groaned. "Why on earth would anyone just hang around the roof for two days? You're just like Flame Brain over here."

Natsu grinned and draped an arm over Lucy's shoulder, bringing her closer to his warmth. "What can I say? Great minds think alike."

Lucy frowned, pushing at his chest. "Don't lump me in with you."

"Gray, you're pants," interrupting Cana absentmindedly, taking a long swig out of her bottle.

"Ahck." Well at least Gray was somewhat back to normal.

"Were you looking for us?" Natsu asked the girls.

They immediately stilled, nodding with tension. "Yeah, the master is calling everyone. We think we might know how to save Juvia."

And then Gray was gone before they could even blink.

* * *

 _Zara's Note: One more chapter done. I know I'm getting through these chapters really quickly, but I'm on a creative streak right now and I don't want to lose any of my ideas. Anyways, another boring chapter (in my opinion, since nothing is really happening yet), but it sets the stage so it's kind of important. Good news though, the boys have already come to terms with their feelings; was that surprising to anyone? Anyways, we're going to get the ball rolling soon, and hopefully some substantial NaLu interactions. So hopefully I'll see you again soon._


	4. Chapter 4: Uncertain Solutions

Fairy Heart

 _Zara's Note: Hello all. Thank you once again for everyone's support; your reviews genuinely make me very happy. Anyways, here's the next chapter._

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, but you know, maybe one day.

* * *

[CHAPTER FOUR – Uncertain Solutions]

Lucy wasn't sure what to expect.

It wasn't the full guild that had gathered this time, only a select few, only those who knew Juvia the best. They were grouped together in the infirmary, either occupying chairs or sitting on spare beds, waiting for Master to return with Lily and Jellal. To her right, Natsu was nearly vibrating in anticipation, the nervous energy surrounding him causing the bed they were sitting on to shake. In front of her, Levy was sitting on a chair by Gajeel's bedside, his hand in hers, who hadn't woken up just yet. To her left, Gray stood against the wall, just as solemn and moody as he had been several days ago.

"Natsu, stop shaking the bed," Happy complained, curled up on the pillow beside their partner. The Dragon Slayer immediately stopped, grinning sheepishly.

Lucy rolled her eyes. He was such a dork sometimes.

Talking amongst themselves, the Straus siblings were on the other side of Juvia in the infirmary, occasionally taking turns to remind Cana to leave her whiskey bottle outside in the guildhall. Hibiki and Eve were conversing quietly with Meredy at the foot of Juvia's bed, scarily serious expressions on their faces and Lucy, again, was reminded that she wasn't sure what to think. What made them so serious?

Wendy and Charle were situated between the beds Gajeel and Juvia were on, running a magical hand over the Dragon Slayer's body for a check up. Erza was pacing by the door.

No one spoke much, aside from the occasional whispered conversation to the person next to them, and the eerie silence started up Natsu's nervous shaking again. Lucy grabbed his hand to stop him, and he stilled, staring down at their hands with an oddly unreadable expression on his face.

"Natsu?"

"It's nothing," he answered her unspoken question quietly. He gave her a bright smile and she returned it with a small one of her own.

"So, what were you and Gray fighting about earlier?" she asked, bringing his hand into her lap to play with his fingers.

And his response broke the tension in the room.

"Wh-wha-what?" he sputtered, face flaming. Like literally, his face was on fire. Lucy's scream caught the attention of everyone in the infirmary, as she let go of his hand and fell backwards off the bed.

"Natsu!" she screamed at him. Natsu's eyes were wide in what Lucy assumed was embarrassment. Since when did her goofy best friend even know the meaning of the word? "You're on fire!"

"We weren't fighting about anything," he yelled back at her, and Lucy stood up, hands on her hips.

"Yes you were, you liar," she snapped. Why on Earthland was he getting so worked up over this? "What aren't you telling me?"

Cana, Happy and Elfman were nearly rolling on the ground in laughter, and Erza opened her mouth to reprimand the group for making such a ruckus when Lucy noticed Natsu's eyes dart behind her to stare, wide-eyed, at Gray. She whirled around and glared. The Ice Mage was sweating, face pale.

"What is the matter with you two morons?" she growled in confusion. Natsu's face was still in flames, but he looked like was at least trying to dial it down. Happy was flying by his head, his wings flapping in such a way that so as to attempted to help put out the fire. "You guys fight about anything and everything, why are you suddenly embarrassed now?"

"We're not embarrassed," Gray shouted, though the way his pale face suddenly reddened told her a different story. He glared over her shoulder warningly at Natsu and Lucy turned back around to glare at the pink-haired Salamander as well, who suddenly stilled at whatever gesture he was making to Gray.

"Ohoho?" Cana cackled, taking a sip out of her whiskey bottle.

"Cana, you can't drink in here," Mira reminded her, but she was ignored.

"What are you two boys hiding?" Cana drawled, approaching the trio and swinging her arm around Gray's bare shoulder.

"Nothing!" Natsu yelled, the flames surrounding his face growing hotter, knocking Happy away. "We're not hiding anything!"

"Natsu," Gray hissed in annoyance. "Be cool, you dimwit."

"Don't worry, Lucy," Cana slurred slyly, "I'll figure it out for you. Maybe they were talking about you."

If it was possible, the flames grew to the point of ridiculousness and Lucy was afraid he was going to burn down the infirmary. Without a second thought, Wendy scurried over from the other side of Gajeel's bed, a pitcher of water from his bedside table in hand, and threw it at Natsu's face, not only drenching him but Lucy as well. Lucy yelped as Natsu's face steamed, though no less red than it was before. At least his face wasn't on fire anymore.

"Wendy," Lucy whined, as Lisanna went to grab them a towel.

"I'm sorry!" Wendy bowed, frantically. Happy was laughing again, falling down onto the pillow he was lying on previously, rolling around in mirth.

"Here Lucy," Lisanna called to her, handing her a fluffy white towel and Lucy thanked her, glaring at the blue feline currently finding amusement in their antics.

"Will you fools quiet down!"

Everyone turned to Erza, eyes dark and hair flying menacingly around her face. Those on Lucy's side of the room squeaked in fear, cringing away from the angry swordswoman. "This is in infirmary, not your playgroud! Show some respect." She finished off her command, grabbing Natsu by the wet collar of his jacket and flinging him into Gray, Cana having run back to other side of Gajeel before she could be caught in the crossfire.

The girls left behind all cringed at the sound of skulls knocking together, then cowered as Erza's stern glare rounded on them. Happy, immediately flew to hide behind Lucy.

Meredy sighed, while Hibiki and Eve exchanged amused glances.

"I guess you wouldn't really expect anything else from Fairy Tail," came Jellal's sudden voice, and everyone stilled, sobering instantly. Entering from the infirmary doors, the blue-haired mage chuckled and headed to stand beside Meredy, accompanied by the Master and Lily.

"Jii-chan!" Natsu and Gray scrambled to their feet, everyone crowding around the trio that had just entered.

"Lily!" Happy cried, flying to the black Exceed, hugging him frantically.

He hadn't been there when Lily had first woken up. The cat in question flinched back when Happy grabbed him but otherwise returned the hug, smiling fondly at the younger cat, while Charle flew over to join them.

"Listen up brats," Master called their attention, and everyone fell silent. "Jellal has informed me of a potential method to help Juvia, though I am not entirely sure I agree with it. I will let him explain for you to decide for yourselves."

"What happened to them?" Natsu asked before Jellel could begin his explanation.

Master sighed. "Lily?"

The Exceed broke away from his fellow cats to fly up to Juvia's bed, resting at her feet. He looked tired and forlorn, like he didn't want to repeat the story again but no one said anything, neither urging nor discouraging him from continuing.

"We were headed to Bosco," he recounted, a strange look in his eye. The group listened with bated breath. "We made it as far as Clover Town before Juvia took pity on Gajeel and we disembarked in order to take a shortcut through Akane Forest."

Hibiki's eyes met with Lucy and she immediately knew what he was thinking. She was right, after all.

"When night fell," Lily continued, "We had already made it to the other side of the forest, Bosco just up ahead, and we decided to make camp amongst the cover of the trees before taking another train in the morning. When we put out the campfire when it was time to sleep, there was no light besides moonlight. We never saw them coming." The little Exceed took a deep breath.

"They ambushed us," he admitted, looking ashamed. "I don't know how Gajeel wasn't able to smell them, but it was like they just emerged from the shadows, waiting for us."

"S'cause dey wern't 'uman."

The gruff voice pulled them away from the story. On the next bed over, Gajeel's eyes had opened, dark circles underneath and bloodshot. Levy, who hadn't left his side, gasped in shock, dropping the hand she was holding.

"Gajeel?"

" 'Ey Shrimp," he rasped out, his voice broken from underuse. Wendy scurried over with a glass of water. "Tanks Wendy."

"Gajeel," Master greeted him, coming over to the bed to give him a once over. "I'm glad you're alright."

Not one for sappy words, the Iron Dragon Slayer didn't answer immediately, taking a long gulp of his water then turning to Lily.

"You okay there?" He sounded much better after rehydrating.

"I'm doing a lot better than you from the looks of it."

Gajeel tried to grin at the offhanded insult, but couldn't bring himself to when he caught site of Juvia's lifeless form on the bed. "Don't know what they were, couldn't see 'em and could barely hear 'em besides some odd clicking, but they didn't smell like any human or even creature I've ever encountered."

"Were they demons?" said Gray, voice tight, and Gajeel's sharp eyes found his before attempting to sit up. Levy and Wendy rushed to help him, acting as support before leaning him against the headboard. At first, Lucy thought he wasn't going to answer, but Gajeel sighed.

"Don't think so, but I couldn't see anything. We were fighting blind. I counted six, but for all we know, there could have been hoards of them."

"Physically, we were able to hit them and they could hit us back," Lily continued, and they shifted their attention to him. "But they had zero presence, no bloodlust. We had no way of knowing where they would be or what they would do. And their magic, there was no rhyme or reason to it. All I knew was pain."

"We fought them off, and at first, Juvia was with us," Gajeel looked pained and Lucy was suddenly struck with awe as she marveled at their friendship. They were such an odd pair, but Gajeel actually cared for the water mage deeply. "But then we couldn't hear her anymore. It wasn't too long after that when those _things_ we were fighting were gone. Lily collapsed before we had the chance to look for her, and with it being so dark it, she was hard to find. Her smell wasn't anywhere near the camp. We didn't find her until the sun rose, looking like… well, looking like that."

He nodded his head over to her and took another drink of his water, downing the rest of the glass.

"She was alive, I think," Lily finished for him. "It was strange; she looked fine, as if those things hadn't touched her. But she wasn't moving, was barely breathing. We took her back here before anything else."

"So you didn't see anyone else?" Erza confirmed.

Gajeel shrugged. "We didn't see anyone, period."

Erza exchanged worried looks with Mira, while Master spoke up.

"You two did a good job of bringing her home. Don't blame yourself for not being able to prevent this. It is not your fault." Gajeel ignored him, glaring defiantly at his hands, and Lily merely nodded, solemnly. "So far, we have determined what it is that is wrong with her, and may even know of a method to help."

At that, Gajeel looked up, hopeful.

Jellal spoke from there. "As Polyursica-san suspected, Juvia is indeed suffering from a curse that has trapped her within herself. This is very dark, very ancient magic, and like Meredy's, this is a similar type of Lost Magic. Only a very powerful mage could have done this to her, and I know of no creature or specific object that is capable of this feat."

So that ruled out Hibiki's earlier theories. Lucy wasn't sure if that should worry her more or not, the fact that one person was able to deal so much damage. At least, they could narrow down the source.

"Earlier this afternoon, Meredy was able to form a sensory link with Juvia, and though the link was weak, she was still able to feel what Juvia could feel."

"She seemed like she was lost," Meredy added, shivering slightly as if she were remembering a bad dream. "Like she was trapped and didn't know her way out. I could feel her fear."

"This Mind Trapping magic is one I have only ever heard of, and it is considered as forbidden by the Council," Jellal continued, "not even I had dabbled with it while I was being… influenced. And though I have heard of it before, I know of no one who currently wields such dark magic."

"So then how do we stop it?" Natsu deadpanned, his tone rather rude. Lucy elbowed him to behave.

"Fortunately," Hibiki finally spoke. He looked troubled. "I have found something in my Archive, hidden away with all the other very dangerous Lost Magics. It is a spell called Mind Meld. It will allow one to link the minds of two individuals, essentially letting one have access to the other."

From where he stood, Jellal caught her eye, looking curiously sad, and suddenly, Lucy could barely breathe. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Okay, then what?" Natsu questioned.

Jellel didn't look away, and it was Meredy who answered. "Hibiki will transfer the information on how to perform the spell to me, for my Maguilty Sense magic is the only kind that will be capable of casting Mind Meld."

"This is a one time use spell, and Meredy will immediately forget how to cast it once the spell wears off," Hibiki explained. "So we only have one shot at this."

Meredy continued, "I will be able to link one of your minds to Juvia's, and that person will have to essentially travel through her psyche, locate Juvia and free her from whatever is holding her captive. Not even I know what you will find, so it will be difficult to adequately prepare you for what is to come."

"Alright, let's do this!" Natsu yelled, a familiar, determined gleam in his eye. "So who are we sending in?"

"Wait Natsu," Jellal's calm voice sent his enthusiasm to a grinding halt. Still, Jellal's sad eyes never left Lucy's, who held his gaze. Others were beginning to notice, particularly Erza who, Lucy noticed through her periphery, was eyeing them back and forth like a tennis match. "It's not that simple. This is _very_ dangerous magic, the kind of which that won't necessarily result in a happy ending. Humanity is not equipped to handle the minds of others. People can wither away or descend into madness if they venture into a mind that is not their own. And this is particularly taxing on Meredy as well. If something happens to either person, or Meredy runs out of magic before they are able to bring Juvia back, all three could die instantly. They could even be trapped in Juvia's mind with her. This is a very finicky kind of magic; there's a good reason why it is lost."

"Alright, I will do it." Erza's resolute voice _would_ be the only thing that could steal Jellal's attention. "I am prepared to take that risk."

Natsu looked like he was about to argue before Jellal beat him to it. "I'm sorry Erza, but you can't," he spoke softly, sadly. "There are certain requirements in order to Mind Meld two people together."

"Which are?" Erza questioned, eyebrows raised in challenge.

"First, the person would need to have a strong mind. If you are to enter another person's consciousness, there is the possibility that you will forget who you are, running the risk of taking on the identity of the other person and believing that your mind belongs there." Jellal paused, letting that information sink in. "Second, your magic must be compatible with the person you are Melding with. If they are not compatible, you will die the moment your mind is transferred to hers." And then Jellal was looking at Lucy again, that same sad gaze. Lucy's heart pattered in chest, remembering an incident that felt as if it had been a lifetime ago, back before Juvia was even her friend. She knew why Jellal would stare at her like she was an abandoned puppy, all hope lost.

"It's me," Lucy whispered and Natsu turned to her sharply. Raising her voice, she met Jellal's stare head on. "I'm the one who has to go in."

"No!" Natsu roared before anyone else had a chance to speak up. "Absolutely not."

"Natsu," Lucy soothed, reaching for his arm but he pulled away, turning to glare at Jellal.

"She's not doing this," he seethed, absolutely furious. "I'll go."

"You can't," Jellal murmured, looking away.

"Like hell I can't," Natsu hissed, rushing up to the blue-haired mage to jab him in the chest. "I don't care what the fuck you say, I'm not letting Lucy risk her life for this."

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled, grabbing his attention. When he turned around to stare at her, she glared. "What gives you the right to say what I can or can't do, who I'm allowed to risk my life for? This is my decision, not yours. Besides, it has to be me."

Natsu glared right back. "Since when do you fill those requirements?"

"Since I performed a Unison Raid with Juvia back at the Tower of Heaven."

Natsu faltered, and she pushed him aside to speak directly to Jellal and Meredy. "I'll do it. I know I can do it."

"Lucy."

Gray spoke up from behind her, quietly but clear; she had nearly forgotten he was even in the room. "My magic is compatible with hers as well. We've performed a Unison Raid together too, at the Grand Magic Games. I'll do it." Curiously, his eyes darted over her head to Natsu, who nodded at him.

"No you're won't," came Gajeel's growl, and they turned to him. He was attempting to rise out his bed, to Levy and Wendy's protests. "I'm not letting you anywhere near Juvia. You can take your icy ass back to whatever hole you came out of and rot there for all I care. Like I'm just going to sit back and let you enter her mind like that."

With the severity of the situation, Lucy was surprised that Gajeel still had a problem with Gray. What could have been so bad about that past year that could garner so much hate for the man.

"Seriously Gajeel," Gray argued, glaring at him. "This isn't the time for that."

"Shut the fuck up. You know nothing about Juvia. I'm not letting you poke around in her mind however you please."

"And yet, you'll endanger Lucy just 'cause you think Gray's a douchebag?" Natsu snapped, rounding on their bedridden friend. "Man, you really _are_ an asshole."

"Stay out of this Salamander, this isn't any of your business."

"Everything about Lucy is my business!"

All three looked just about ready to throw punches, in spite of any injuries that one of their party might be recovering from. Before they could start anything however, Master stepped in the middle of their triangle, beginning to grow larger in annoyance.

"Settle down you brats!"

The three didn't argue, but none of them relented in their glaring. Lucy sighed. _Boys_.

"To be honest Gray," Jellal spoke, clearing his throat well the fighting boys turned their glares on him. "Lucy's chances are much better than yours at the moment."

Natsu and Gray opened their mouths to argue, but Jellal shook his head. "It is true that you're magic is very compatible with Juvia's as well, but you are lacking in the first requirement right now."

"Are you saying I'm weak-minded?" Gray snapped, eyeing the other man challengingly. Jellal didn't back down.

"Right now, yes you are. No listen to me," he spoke again when Gray looked like he wanted to retort. "At the present moment, you are too emotionally unstable and lack the presence of mind to control yourself. You'll only be a danger to both Meredy and Juvia."

"I'm not unstable," Gray hissed, but Master bonked him on the head with a giant fist before her could say more.

"Lucy, are you sure you want to do this?" he asked as he shrunk back down and walked towards the blonde, ignoring Natsu's sputtering behind him. "No one will fault you for backing out. We will just have to find another way.

Lucy fell silent, looking towards the fallen Water Mage, lying half-dead on the bed to her right. She knew she had a weird relationship with Juvia. They were friends, though they weren't particularly that close. Juvia would always be jealous of her or thrust her into some unwanted drama involving love triangles and scandalous fantasies. She glared at her every time Gray came to talk to her, and snubbed her when she tried to play nice. And yet, Juvia came to her aid more times than she could count. Through thick and thin, they had each other's backs. And there were those times, those small instances where they would sit together at the guild, or when she had help Juvia come up with a gift for that ridiculous anniversary present for Gray that reminded Lucy of the easy friendship they shared. They were friends, and Lucy couldn't deny that.

Having grown up, locked away at the mansion, Lucy never had any friends growing up. That was why she held the people of Fairy Tail with such high regard. They weren't only her friends, they were her family. The only family she had left.

She would be damned before she would let anything happen to her family.

"I'm sure."

* * *

 _Zara's Note: Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. I don't know how I'm finishing these chapters so fast, but somehow it's going well. Anyways, for next chapter, we'll see the others' reactions to Lucy's determination, particularly the argument between her and Natsu, and then Lucy enters Juvia's mind. So stay tuned and thanks for reading! Don't forget to review, it makes me really happy and encourages me to continue updating faster._


	5. Chapter 5: For Darkness Shows the Stars

Fairy Heart

 _Zara's Note: Hello all. I'm sorry this took so long, and for those of you who saw that I accidently posted the fifth chapter for my other story under this one, I'm really sorry. I was going to work so I was posting things quickly and my head just wasn't on straight. But here it is, the proper chapter in its proper place. I took the title of this chapter from a book of the same name that was written by Diana Peterfreund. I never actually read it, but I read it's sequel/side story book,_ Across a Star Swept Sea _, and it was actually amazing, one of my favourites to read last year. Anyways, here's the next chapter._

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, but you know, maybe one day.

* * *

[CHAPTER FIVE – For Darkness Shows the Stars]

She floated in a vast abyss of darkness, the silence roaring in her ears. She stared straight ahead with lidded eyes. Where was she? _Who_ was she?

"Hello?" she called out and her voice was sucked into space like a vacuum, no echo, nothing. And she realized absentmindedly that she was suspended, body in the air with support suspiciously missing from underneath her. How did she get here?

Trying to focus her sight on anything besides the black void, she looked left and right but she was met with the same sight. She fingered the flowing white dress that encased her body wondering what she was supposed to do now. She lifted her arms, noticing on the back of her right hand was a curious pink symbol – what was that supposed to be? – and embedded in her left palm, in glowing azure font, was the number 53:28, counting down by the second. What in the world?

She tried to rack her brain for something, anything that would explain what she was doing there, focusing on the countdown on her hand. And then a memory formed in her mind.

* * *

"Remember, you only have one hour to go in there, find her and get out," a man spoke, blue hair shifting over his eyes as he spoke. He had a swirling black tattoo over one eye and a gentle smile on his lips. "Meredy can only keep the connection for so long. Any longer than that and she'll die, taking you two along with her."

She frowned. "But how will I know when my time is up?"

"Give me your hand." She raised her left arm, settling her hand in his while he closed his eyes, concentrating. Laying his free hand over the palm of hers, he whispered some foreign words and then her hand was burning.

"Ow," she bit out, retracting her arm, but then the pain was gone and there, in the palm of her hand, were the glowing numbers 60:00.

"I'll start the timer after Meredy performs the spell. Your hand will start to burn at the halfway point, and then again when 45 minutes have passed. Once you hit 10 minutes left, your hand will continue to increase in heat to remind you that you need to leave. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

* * *

Right, so according to the man with the blue hair (Jellal, she remembered), she only had an hour here. Okay. So then what? What did he say she had to do again? Find her? Who was "her"?

She tried to focus again on the memory, hoping to remember something more.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

The woman who spoke to her was impossibly beautiful, scarlet hair falling down her back like a waterfall. She wore a blue skirt and white blouse, and the look on her face was stern but concerned.

"It'll be very dangerous for you."

She smiled softly, washing her hands at the sink. They were in a washroom, and she stared at herself in the mirror. Long blonde hair, bright brown eyes. She looked determined.

"Don't worry Erza, I'll be fine. I want to do this."

"Just be careful then," the woman, Erza, instructed, extending her arms to hug the girl.

* * *

Okay, she had a little bit more of the puzzle, but she still had no idea what she was supposed to do. She looked down at her palm, reading 50:55. She still had time.

With the two memories anchoring her down, her consciousness sharpened a bit and she noticed that the darkness was going fuzzy as light threated to shine through. Her surroundings weren't so bleak anymore, but she still couldn't make out where she was. Figuring that her memories were what were allowing her to orient herself to the situation, she closed her eyes in concentration.

* * *

"Lu-chan."

She turned around and was surprised at the group of people greeting her, sad expressions on their faces. The girl who spoke, short and sweet with blue hair pulled back with a headband, looked especially worried, running up to her to grab both her hands.

"Don't worry Levy-chan," she laughed. "I'll be okay. Jeez, you're all acting like I'm heading off to war or something."

Then a little girl, no older than 13, launched herself foreword, throwing her arms around her and burying her face in her stomach.

"J-just… come back okay?" she stuttered, her words muffled. She wrapped her arms around the younger girl. Wendy. "I-I don't kn-know if I c-could stand it if you were g-go-gone too."

Her eyes softened. "Just wait for me. When I get back, I'll treat you to ice-cream."

"Bring our girl home okay?" This time it was a pretty brunette, showing a startling amount of skin. As she made her rounds, reassuring various different people that she would be fine and bring _her_ back, she couldn't help but feel loved.

* * *

So, she assumed, when the flashback finished, that she was whom they called _Lu-chan_ , though that was an odd name. Suddenly, her world shifted into view and she could see clearly, as if she was looking through a blurred camera and then unexpectedly, someone focused the lens. Bare feet touching what she assumed was cold, marble flooring, Lucy found herself standing in what appeared to be a hallway, golden ornate doors lining the sea blue walls. Little chandeliers shining white light were strung along the ceiling, leading further down the hall, the end of which was nowhere in sight. She looked down at her palm. 47:56. She still had time, right?

It was her understanding that, the more she remembered about who she was and what she was doing there, the less she was sucked into the darkness. Things became clearer. Just a little bit more.

* * *

"Don't pry into places you're not s'pose to," a gruff man with metal piercings across his face growled at her. She rolled her eyes. "She comes with a lot o' baggage, so don't you dare go looking for things you shouldn't be."

"Stop worrying Gajeel," she told him. They were in some sort of hospital room and people were scurrying around behind her, getting something ready, but she had her focus trained on the scowling man in front of her.

"I ain't worrying," he scoffed as she smiled at him. Gajeel would never change.

"Yes you are," she teased him, jabbing him with her elbow. "We all know Juvia's your best friend." Someone cleared their throat to the left of her and she turned to a little black cat, who stared at her as if offended. "Besides Lily, of course," she corrected herself.

"Shut up," Gajeel hissed, though the faintest of reds coloured his cheeks. "The Rain Woman ain't my friend."

But she ignored him and turned to face the last bed of the room. A pretty girl, hair blue and black eyes lifeless, lay on the mattress, and she was reminded of her purpose. She had to free her from her prison.

* * *

Lu-chan blinked as she fell back into her present situation. She was so close; she was almost there. She just needed two names, the one she was looking for and then her own. For some reason, she had a feeling that she couldn't venture any further unless she could remember those; she knew it would be too dangerous. If she didn't remember now, they would be forever lost.

Suddenly, someone giggled behind her and she nearly screamed, whipping around to face the unknown intruder. Peeking out from behind one of the doors down on the opposite end of the hallway was a little girl, maybe around 6, staring at her. Her long blue hair was curled tightly at the ends and falling just above her shoulders, black eyes wide with curiosity. She wore a little white hat on top of her head and white dress similar to what Lu-chan herself was wearing. When she noticed her staring back at her, the little girl squeaked and shut the door she was hiding behind firmly.

Unsure if what she saw just then was real, Lu-chan approached the door, tracing the intricate patterns of gold before knocking hesitantly.

"W-who is it?" a small, sweet voice called from the other side, clearly terrified.

"Err… it's Lu-chan," she croaked hesitantly, her voice hoarse.

The door cracked open a smidgeon and a single, large eye looked up at her. "How did Lu-chan get here?"

She didn't know how to answer that. "I don't know, I can't really remember, but I know I'm here to look for someone. How did _you_ get here?"

The door opened wider, revealing all of the little girl's pretty face, but she still didn't exit the safety of the room. She shrugged her shoulders. "Juvi-chan has lived here her whole life. She is always here."

"So you're name is Juvi-chan?"

The little girl smiled, stepping out of the dim room and into the bright hallway. "Hai!"

Lu-chan smiled warmly. "And how old are you Juvi-chan?"

"Juvi-chan is this many!" she announced proudly, holding up five fingers. Lu-chan laughed and kneeled down to look the little girl in the eye.

"Wow," she exclaimed in wonderment and the girl nodded excitedly. "You're so big now. What are you doing here all by yourself?"

Suddenly, the little girl wasn't so happy anymore. Eyes downcast and teary, she sniffled. "Juvi-chan is always alone. It's because wherever Juvi-chan goes, so does the rain."

It was such a sad, lonely statement, Lu-chan frowned in compassion. Taking one of Juvi-chan's hands in each of her own, she squeezed them until the little girl looked up at her again. She smiled, as reassuringly as she could.

"Don't worry Juvi-chan, you're not alone anymore. I'm here now, and I actually quite like the rain."

And then she jumped forward into Lu-chan's arms, knocking her down to the ground just as another memory bombarded her.

* * *

"Gray."

It was her voice, but it was so much softer, so much sadder. It held such heartbreak and sympathy in it. She spoke to another dark haired man, but he wasn't as intimidating as Gajeel. He was sitting on the edge of the roof of some building, sulking by the looks of it, half naked. She climbed out through the second story window to sit beside him at the roof's ledge.

"What do you want?" he hissed, a beer bottle in hand and looking thoroughly pissed.

"You shouldn't drink up here," she lectured disapprovingly, trying to reach for the bottle but he pulled away. "You could fall."

He ignored her, taking an extra long swig of his beer for emphasis. "Go away."

She sighed. Why were boys so complicated?

"Look, I know you really care about her," she started but was cut off when he growled at her.

"I don't care about her," he snapped, looking away.

She glared at him. "Then figure out what you do feel, otherwise you have no right to be this pissy about some girl you _don't_ care for."

Instead of answering, he took another chug of his drink.

"I just wanted to let you know that Meredy's performing the spell soon," she continued, her voice softening again. "And no matter how much you deny it, I know she's special to you. I don't know why you're holding back so much when she's so clearly and openly in love with you, Gray, but you have to know how lucky you are. There aren't many people who can love so freely like that."

She got up from her seat to head back inside but not before hearing his last words.

"I know I'm lucky. Juvia means everything to me."

* * *

"Juvia," Lu-chan whispered into the head of blue hair that was currently squeezing the life out of her.

"Huh?" Juvi-chan hiccupped, lifting her large, tear-filled eyes to her face.

"That's who I'm looking for," Lu-chan said, voice raising in volume. An image of a curvy, blue-haired woman flitted into her mind, wearing a navy winter coat with a matching hat. Her friend, Juvia. How could she have forgotten. "Juvia!"

"You know Juvi?"

Lu-chan's eyes snapped to the little girl. "What?"

"Juvi is like Juvi-chan but bigger!" she exclaimed innocently, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Lu-chan was still lost.

"Wait, there are others here as well?"

She nodded, though, for a second, a flash of fear flitted through her eyes. "Just Juvi and Juvi-chan here. But the bad man is here too. He came here, just like you."

Lu-chan's heart stopped.

"The bad man?"

Juvi-chan nodded again, looking left and right as if the bad man was going to appear any second. "The bad man came from nowhere and was about to grab Juvi-chan but Juvi protected her and told her to run. Juvi is really strong you know, and she's really happy all the time now."

Lu-chan gulped. She suddenly felt colder, more afraid. Something wasn't right here. "Where is Juvia now?"

Juvi-chan looked like she was about to cry again. Shaking her head, she let the tears fall. "Juvi-chan doesn't know. She tried looking for Juvi but she couldn't find her. Juvi-chan is all alone again."

Lu-chan stopped and wracked her brain. What was she supposed to do now? This sounded dangerous, much more dangerous than she had originally thought. She didn't remember anything about anybody else being involved. She suddenly felt like she was in way over her head.

Juvi-chan was crying again, pretty crystalline tears leaking out of her eyes and somewhere in the vast space they were in, behind one of the closed doors, thunder boomed.

One last memory filled her heart.

* * *

"I don't like this."

The man she was sitting beside wasn't like any of the others, and she didn't feel for him the same way either. Her heart squeezed at his words and she wrapped her left hand in his right, letting his warmth fill her with comfort. She rested her head on his shoulder, allowing her true feelings of insecurity and fear flow out of her. Perched on her lap was a little blue cat.

"Natsu, please," she whispered, using her other hand to rub the top of the feline's head.

"No," he huffed, grinding his teeth together in apprehension. "It's dangerous. You shouldn't be going in alone."

"I can handle this," she spoke again, trying to be reassuring for the both of them.

"Natsu, you know she's strong," the cat said, looking up at the couple in worry. "She can handle anything!"

"I know that, Happy," Natsu snapped, looking away as a rare blush coloured his cheeks. "I believe in her, you know I do. I just…" He trailed off, unable to continue. She lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him but he wouldn't meet her gaze.

"Natsu, tell me what's really bugging you."

He shook his head but she reached over with the hand that was previously petting Happy, the cat and placed it along his jaw, pulling it towards her so he'd face her.

"Natsu."

"I just don't want to lose you," he mumbled and she smiled warmly.

"I'm not going anywhere," she hissed, squeezing his hand.

Happy looked up at her. "Do you promise?"

"Cross my heart," she replied firmly, bringing her hand back down to his little head. "Besides, if I'm gone, who's going to keep an eye on you two idiots."

"Hey!" Happy whined, waving his arms in the air. "I'm not an idiot. Natsu on the other hand…"

"What?" the man gasped. "Are you saying that I am?"

"Aye sir!" the cat nodded cheekily and she laughed at her boys. That's right, they were her boys. Her best friends. Her family.

Someone from behind her called their attention and the group turned as Erza walked up to them, a blank expression on her face. "It's time. Meredy's ready for you."

She nodded, getting up, Natsu's hand still laced in hers. She hugged Happy first, squishing him to her chest as he trembled against her. After she handed the cat to Erza, she turned to Natsu, who stared at her with an intense, smoldering gaze.

"I'll be fine," she whispered, closing her eyes as he closed in on her. He rested his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling. He was so close, so warm. She felt safe, like the weight of a life wasn't resting entirely on her shoulders.

"I believe you," he whispered back. They didn't care that they were sharing this intimate moment with an audience. She just wanted to savour the feel of him. "I'll always believe in you."

"Thank you."

When she pulled away from him, she squeezed his hand and smiled, and then suddenly, he was pulling her back to him, wrapping his arms around her and whispering in her ear.

"Just be careful, Lucy."

* * *

Lucy.

Lucy.

Lucy.

And then every single one of her memories came back to her. Her home, her parents, the guild. She remembered all the adventures she went on with Natsu and Happy by her side, and all the people she met along the way. She remembered her spirits, and her friends at the guild. She remembered everything! She couldn't believe she had almost forgotten her own name.

The sense of urgency rushed into her like a shockwave. She looked down at her palm. 44:02. She had less than ¾ of an hour to find Juvia and get out of there. She had to hurry.

"Juvi-chan," she said, and the little girl stopped her crying. "I need your help. Do you know how to get around this place?"

She sniffled, nodding. "Juvi-chan plays here all the time."

"So you know where each door leads to, and how to open them?"

It was only a hunch but Lucy guessed that each door led to either one of Juvia's memories, or thoughts and feelings. All the doors were shut at the moment, possibly locked to keep out intruders, but if she could just open each door, maybe her mind would be more susceptible to freeing them.

The child version of Juvia nodded again.

Lucy's brain whirled as she stood up, righting Juvi-chan as well. She eyed the child curiously. Lucy didn't know a lot about it, but she knew Juvia didn't have the best childhood. This younger version of herself was probably a manifestation of her need to relive it, the need to hold onto the hurt she had felt when she was younger. Lucy didn't think it was an alternate personality, per se, but probably just a piece of Juvia that she couldn't let go of just yet. Which was fortunate for Lucy; she would need Juvi-chan's help if she were going to navigate this maze of Juvia's memories.

"Juvi-chan, I need you to listen to me very carefully."

When the child nodded, she pressed on urgently. "I'm one of Juvia's friends, and I'm here to save her from the bad man. Do you understand?"

Juvi-chan's eyes widened, a sudden fear in them. "But the bad man is scary."

Lucy had no idea who this bad man was, but she could only assume he was the mage who trapped Juvia here, the one performing the magic. He had to be.

"I know, but I need to help her. I'm going to make the bad man go away, okay? Do you believe me?"

She hesitated, looking skeptical. "But how are you going to do that?"

"First, I need to find Juvia. Can you help me look for her? We'll worry about the bad man when we get to it."

Juvi-chan didn't answer at first. She shuffled her feet nervously on the floor, hopping from side to side. She looked restless, unsure of herself, like she wanted to help but was too afraid to. Then she stopped, looking up directly into Lucy's eyes and smiled brightly.

"Okay," she cried, lunging forward to hug Lucy around the waist again. Lucy held her ground, stopping the two of them from falling over a second time. They didn't have time for any of that. "Juvi-chan will Lu-chan look for Juvi, because Lu-chan is Juvi-chan's friend!"

Lucy laughed, squeezing the girl tight then letting go. Was this what it was like to be friends with Juvia?

"Thank you Juvi-chan. Lead the way."

The girl clasped her hand around Lucy's and took her down the hallway, opening the first door to the right.

* * *

 _Zara's Note: Thank you once again for everyone's support; your reviews genuinely make me very happy and I'm glad for those people who are invested in this story. Also, thank you for waiting so patiently for this chapter. I know this chapter was a little confusing, so please, give me some feedback and let me know what you think! Just for clarification/future reference:_

 _Juvi = normal/adult Juvia_

 _Juvi-chan = little, 5 year old manifestation of Juvia, created by her in her own mind_

 _Lu-chan = what Juvi-chan calls Lucy._

 _Anyways, hope you liked it and see you next time! Next chapter we'll see more of Lucy and Juvi-chan poking through Juvia's mind, as well as what the rest of Fairy Tail is up to back at the guild._


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